Reconciliation and Ginger Ale
by bkwerm22
Summary: Set after Sonny kicks Will out of his apartment
1. Chapter 1

"Get out," Sonny said quietly. Will looked at him in surprise.

"Sonny, I'm- I'm sorry," Will stuttered.

"Will, I asked you to leave. I can't do this right now," Sonny replied. Will looked at Sonny and saw that he was serious. He nodded and walked out of the apartment dejectedly. Sonny slammed the door behind him and Will put his forehead against the door. He let out a choking sob and it took all of Sonny's resolve not to pull the door back open. Will took a shuddering breath and started to leave the apartment building. In order to avoid talking to anyone, Will stayed clear of Horton Square and headed home.

Sami was getting coffee from the kitchen when she heard the door open. She turned around and found her son standing in the doorway. He looked very upset. Sami put down her coffee and quickly walked over to him. "Will? What's wrong?" Immediately, without saying anything, Will flung his arms around his mother and buried his face in her shoulder. Taken aback, Sami wrapped her arms around her son's back. Will let out a sob and Sami stroked his head. "Okay, shh. Let's sit down," she suggested. Will pulled away and looked at his mother with puffy eyes. He nodded and the two of them sat down on the couch. "Now, do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Will sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket, and stared blankly at the television screen. Sami came out of the kitchen with a glass of water and handed it to her son. "I was supposed to go in to work, but I can stay if you need me," Sami said.

Will shook his head slowly. "I'm okay. Go to work," Will replied.

"Well, if you're sure… call me if you need anything," Sami said.

"Okay," Will said in a small voice. Sami squeezed his shoulder before grabbing her purse. She opened up the apartment door and made one last parting glance at her son. Then she headed off to work.

Sami passed through Horton Square and saw Lucas sitting on one of the couches, looking at a book. She hitched her purse up on her shoulder and walked determinedly toward him. "What the Hell is your problem?" she demanded. Lucas looked up at Sami.

"Hello Sami. Nice to see you too," Lucas said sarcastically.

"You really screwed up, Lucas. Do you know who I just saw?" Sami asked.

"No, Sami. Enlighten me," Lucas replied.

"Will just came home very upset. Sonny kicked him out of his apartment because of some ridiculous idea you put into our son's head!" Sami said. "I thought you supported Will and his new relationship with Sonny!"

"They are moving too fast, Sami! I practically walked in on them about to have sex!"

"What?"

"Yeah. I came to Sonny's apartment because Will wouldn't answer his phone. And it took them an awfully long time to answer the door. I merely pointed out to Will that Sonny was using him," Lucas explained.

"That's ridiculous! Well whatever you said to Will, he clearly told Sonny about it! Our son is currently sitting on my couch, inconsolable!"

"Will is a grown man now. He will be okay," Lucas insisted.

"I… oh, I can't even look at you right now! I'm going to work! Do me a favor and don't talk to Will. I think you've done enough," Sami said. She left in a huff and Lucas watched her go, shaking his head.

One Week Later

Will hadn't slept in days. He had been lying in bed, unable to get up for anything. Sami was becoming extremely worried about him. One morning, Sami let herself into Will's room and sat down on his bed. "Will?" She pulled the covers down and found her son curled up on his side, shivering. Will are you okay?

Will shook his head. "My whole body hurts and I feel sick," Will mumbled pitifully.

Concerned, she placed a hand on his forehead. "Oh Will, you're burning up." She quickly ran to the bathroom and grabbed a thermometer. "Will? Baby, let me take your temperature."

Will groaned and rolled over onto his back. He allowed his mother to put a thermometer into his mouth. After a minute, Sami removed it and looked. "Oh baby, you have a 101 degree fever," Sami said.

"My stomach hurts," Will moaned.

"Okay. How about some ginger ale and saltines?" Sami asked. Will nodded his head weakly. "Okay baby, I will be right back."

"Mmk," Will murmured before pulling the covers back over his shoulders. Sami frowned and got up from the bed. She went to retrieve her purse, wondering as she did so how Will had gotten sick. She knew he hadn't been eating or sleeping well; maybe his immune system was weakened. She sighed and headed out the door.

Sami was checking out at the grocery store when she saw Sonny in the next line. She hurriedly grabbed her bags, paid, and rushed over to the brunette. "Sonny?" She said.

Sonny turned and looked at Sami in surprise. "Hello, Ms. Brady," he said nervously. Sami looked at him and noticed bags under his eyes.

"Hey… er… you look tired," Sami said, stating the obvious.

"Um, yeah well, I haven't been sleeping that well," Sonny replied.

"I see. Does that have anything to do with my son?" she asked.

"Listen, Ms. Brady, I really don't want to talk about Will right now. I need to get back to the coffee shop. So if you don't mind…" Sonny began.

"Wait! I hope you know that Will really cares about you. He wouldn't hurt you intentionally," Sami interrupted.

"I just need some time away from him," Sonny said.

"Yes, of course. But I just have one more question for you. It's important," Sami said.

Sonny sighed. "Okay… shoot."

"Besides feeling tired, have you been feeling sick lately?"

"Um, no…" Sonny asked. It was then that he looked down and saw the ginger ale and crackers in Sami's arms. "Wait, is… is Will sick?" Sami could hear the worry in his voice.

"Yeah. I think he came down with the flu… he hasn't been eating or sleeping very well, so his body is worn down," Sami replied. Just then, her phone rang. "Will you excuse me for a second?" She answered her phone. "Hello? What? No, I can't come in right now…well I'm sorry but Will is sick… What?" Sami sighed. "Ugh, okay, I will be there as soon as I can. Yeah… uh huh, bye." Sami flipped her phone closed and looked back at Sonny who was waiting patiently for her to get off the phone. "Sonny, I'm sorry but I need to get home quickly so I can get Will this stuff. I need to go to work."

"Um… wait, uh, I can… I can take it to him…" Sonny replied.

"Really? Are you sure? I thought you needed to get back to the coffee shop?"

"Well… they can get on without me," Sonny said.

"Okay, yeah…that would actually be very helpful… Um, let me give you my apartment key," Sami said. She rifled through her purse and found the key. Then she handed it to Sonny along with the crackers and the ginger ale. "Thank you so much, Sonny. I know you and Will are on the outs right now, but I really appreciate this."

"No problem. Good luck with whatever's going on at work," Sonny replied.

"Thank you," Sami replied. With that, she hurried off towards her car.

Will's head was pounding and he could feel the bile rising in his throat. He quickly got out of bed, stumbled from dizziness and ran for the bathroom. The next thing he knew, Will was heaving into the toilet. Then he sat back and rested his forehead on the cool porcelain.

Sonny let himself into Sami's apartment and heard retching coming from the bathroom. He quickly deposited the crackers and soda on the kitchen counter and rushed to the bathroom. Sonny found will in a pile on the floor, his forehead resting against the lip of the toilet.

When another wave of nausea overcame him, Will sat back up and vomited again. Suddenly, he felt a strong hand on his back. The hand began rubbing circles as Will threw up. Once Will was finished, he sat back and returned his forehead to its original position. "What are you doing here?" he mumbled.

"I ran into your mom at the grocery store. She had to go into work and I offered to drop off the ginger ale and crackers she bought for you," Sonny said.

"Well you delivered it, so thanks. You can leave now if you want," Will said.

"That's not fair," Sonny said.

"I… I know, I'm sorry," Will mumbled. He sat up from the toilet and leaned up against the wall, his eyes closed. Will moaned. "I feel awful."

"You look awful."

"Gee, thanks."

"Are you going to throw up again?" Sonny asked. Will shook his head. "Okay, let's get you back in bed then," Sonny said. He helped Will to his feet and Will swayed a little. "Whoa, are you okay there?"

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy, that's all," Will said. Sonny frowned and wrapped an arm around Will's waist.

"Lean on me," Sonny stated. Will nodded and leaned into Sonny's side. The two boys made their way into Will's bedroom and Sonny helped him get back in bed. Will nestled his head onto the pillows and groaned. He felt the mattress sink as Sonny sat down on the bed. "Can I get you some ginger ale and crackers now?"

Will shook his head. "Not right now… I still feel a little queasy," Will replied.

"Mmk… well I left the crackers and ginger ale on the counter so… I guess I'll see you later," Sonny said. He started to get up from the bed when Will's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist weakly.

"Sonny, wait," Will exclaimed. "I'm… I'm sorry for the other day."

"Look, Will, now's not the time to talk about this. You're sick," Sonny replied. "I need to go to work." He pulled his arm away and got up from the bed. He started for the door when Will whispered:

"I miss you."

Sonny stopped in his tracks when he heard the pain in Will's voice. He turned and looked at Will, whose eyes were wet with unshed tears. "Please don't go… I can't sleep, I can't eat… You're all I think about, Will pleaded.

"Will, you made accusations that were based on the word of your dad… and the fact that you don't trust me? That hurts," Sonny replied.

"I- I know… I'm s-so sorry," Will stuttered. He struggled to sit up in bed and then held out his hand. "Please… please stay. Let me explain…"

Sonny sighed and came back over to the bed. "You have five minutes."

"Okay um…I was scared," Will began. He looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "Sonny, when we first started dating, I couldn't believe that someone so amazing as you would be into me! I still don't feel good enough for you… and then my dad put these thoughts in my head and my insecurity got the better of me..." Will trailed off, tears streaming down his cheeks; he looked down at his hands.

Sonny's heart clenched and he reached over to grasp Will's hand. "Will, look at me," he murmured. Will slowly raised his eyes to meet Sonny's. "You are an amazing guy. And I realize that coming out was hard for you; that this is all new to you. But I need you to trust me… and like I said, it really hurt that you didn't."

"I know Sonny, I know and I'm so sorry… I just…" Will stopped mid sentence when he felt the nausea again. "Hold that thought." He sprang out of bed and rushed to the bathroom.

Even though Sonny still felt hurt by what had happened between him and Will, he couldn't deny the fact that he cared for him. Will being sick made Sonny's heart leap into his throat. Sonny got up off the bed and followed Will to the bathroom. Will was throwing up bile and Sonny knelt down next to him and rubbed his back. "How about some ginger ale now? It will help and I'm sure throwing up pure stomach acid doesn't make your throat feel good."

Will sat back and groaned. "Okay," he whispered.

"Can you get back to bed on your own?" Sonny asked.

"Yes, I can," Will replied.

"Okay. I'm going to go get you ginger ale," Sonny said. He got up from the floor and extended a hand. Will took it and Sonny hauled him off the floor. Then Sonny went to the kitchen. As he poured the ginger ale into a glass, Sonny pictured Will on the floor, puking his guts out and his stomach rolled. He couldn't deny that he was worried about Will and could feel himself begin to forgive Will for what had transpired a week ago. Sonny took a deep breath and headed back to Will's room.

Will was curled up on his side, facing away from Sonny. While Sonny had been getting him some ginger ale, Will was thinking about what had happened between them a week ago. He thought about what Sonny said about feeling hurt that Will didn't trust him and that made Will feel like slime. He really cared about Sonny and felt incredibly lucky that they had started dating. Now it felt as though he'd ruined that. It didn't help that Will's entire body hurt. He felt horrible body and soul and the thought of losing Sonny caused an ache in his chest. Soon, choking sobs overtook him.

Sonny hurried over to the bed when he heard the anguished cries. The pain emanating from Will solidified Sonny's resolve to forgive him for what had happened. He knew in his heart that Will was truly sorry and cared for him deeply. Silently, Sonny placed the cup of ginger ale on the bedside table, lay down next to Will and wrapped his arms around the distraught man. Will stiffened and then relaxed into Sonny's side. Sonny stroked Will's arm as the sobs slowly turned into sniffles. He nestled his chin on Will's shoulder and whispered, "It's okay. I've got you."

"I'm s-s-so s-s-sorry," Will whimpered. "I n-never m-meant to hurt y-you."

"Shh. I forgive you, okay? I forgive you," Sonny whispered.

Will turned and looked at Sonny. "Y-you d-do?"

"Yeah. I do. Look, Will, I care about you. And I can see that you care about me too. I just want you to do one thing for me," Sonny replied.

"Anything!" Will said.

"I want you to promise me that you're going to trust me. I want you to promise me that next time you have doubts, come talk to me about it. Don't jump me and try to have sex with me instead of telling me what's going on. The first time we have sex should be special. It should be because we want each other not because you have doubts about me. Okay?" Sonny said.

"I promise you. Oh Sonny, I promise that I will tell you when I'm having doubts. I want our first time to be special too," Will agreed.

"Good. Now, this is what's going to happen. You are going to drink this ginger ale. Then you are going to take a nap. I will stay with you until you fall asleep, but I need to get back to the coffee shop. I'll come back later tonight," Sonny said.

"Okay," Will replied.

Sonny sat up and Will followed suit. Sonny passed Will the ginger ale and watched as he sipped it slowly. Once he was finished, Sonny took the glass and put it on the table. "Does your stomach feel better?"

"A little."

"Good. Now, lay down and try and sleep," Sonny ordered. Will complied and snuggled down under the covers. "Close your eyes."

Will closed his eyes and smiled. "Thank you for forgiving me," he said.

"Hey, quiet. You need to rest," Sonny scolded mockingly.

"Yes mom," Will teased back.

Sonny chuckled. "Sleep." He began to stroke Will's head. Soon, Will had fallen asleep, as indicated by his snoring. Sonny slowly disentangled himself from Will and got up from the bed.

As he was closing the bedroom door, Sami walked in. "Oh, Sonny! You're still here!" she exclaimed. Sonny smiled.

"Yeah. Will's asleep now. He's thrown up a couple times, but I was able to get him to drink some ginger ale," Sonny replied.

"Oh Sonny, thank you! But you didn't need to stay," Sami said.

"That's okay Ms. Brady. I'm actually glad I did. Um, would it be okay if I came by when I'm done with work?" Sonny asked. Sami looked at him with surprise.

"Of – of course! Did you and Will talk?"

"Yeah. I think we're going to be okay," Sonny replied.

"Oh Sonny, I'm so glad," Sami gushed. "Well thank you again for taking care of my son. And I am so glad you two had a chance to talk."

"Me too. I'll see you later, Ms. Brady," Sonny replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Around 1 pm, Sami decided to check on Will. She knew something was wrong as soon as she entered the bedroom. Will was moaning as he tossed and turned. Sami rushed over and tried shaking her son awake, but he wouldn't open his eyes. She carefully placed a hand on his forehead and immediately pulled it back in shock: his brow was on fire! "Oh God," she breathed. Quickly, Sami ran into the bathroom and found the thermometer. Then she went back to the bedroom and sat on Will's bed. "Shh, it's okay Will."

Will immediately responded to the soothing tone of his mother's voice and stopped tossing. Sami gently stroked his cheek and Will's eyes fluttered open. "Mom?" he moaned.

"Hey baby. I need to take your temperature again, okay?" Sami asked. Will slowly opened his mouth and Sami inserted the thermometer. She waited for a minute and then looked for a reading. She felt sick all of the sudden. The thermometer read 104 degrees. "Oh my God, Will? Will, can you sit up at all?"

Will nodded and struggled to sit up. He grunted in pain and immediately fell back on the pillows. "It hurts!" he groaned.

"What hurts, baby?" Sami asked.

Will clutched his right side. "H-here," he stuttered.

Sami's heart leapt into her throat and she immediately stood up from the bed and leaned down to place a quick kiss on Will's cheek. "Hold on, baby. I will be right back." Sami ran out of the room and grabbed her phone off the counter. She dialed 9-1-1 and tapped her foot impatiently.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" a dispatcher finally answered.

"Finally!" Sami said in exasperation. "My son woke up with flu like symptoms and I just went to check on him a couple minutes ago. He's burning up and he says his side hurts."

"All right ma'am. Can you tell me your address?" Sami complied. "Okay ma'am, I am dispatching an ambulance now. They should arrive in about ten minutes," the dispatcher said.

"Thank you," Sami replied.

"You're welcome, ma'am. Do you need me to stay on the line until the ambulance arrives?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Sami said.

"Okay ma'am. Good day," the dispatcher replied before the line went dead.

_Good day? How the Hell is it a good day? _Sami thought to herself. She shook her head and went back to Will's room. He was curled up on his left side clutching the right. Sami sat down on the bed and stroked his head. "Will, baby? I called an ambulance. You are going to be okay," she whispered.

"It hurts, mom," he moaned.

"I know it does, baby. Hang in there," Sami murmured. She continued to stroke her son's forehead as he writhed in pain, right up until she heard the knock on her apartment door. Sami jumped up and ran to the door. She flung it open and was greeted by two EMTs.

"Somebody called for an ambulance?" one of the EMTs announced.

"Yes, I did. It's my son, Will," Sami said.

"Okay, where is he?"

"In here," Sami replied. She walked briskly to her son's bedroom and pointed inside. "There."

The EMTs nodded and ran inside the room, gurney in toe. One of them put a hand on Will's shoulder. "Hey Will, my name is Billy. This is Jacob. We are going to take you to the hospital, okay?"

Will opened his eyes and looked at Billy. "O-okay," he muttered. The EMT named Jacob gently rolled Will on his side while Billy slipped the stretcher under him. Jacob gently lowered Will back down and on the count of three, they lifted Will onto the stretcher.

Sami watched on, her nerves shaken. "What do you think is wrong with him?"

"It might be appendicitis, ma'am. But we won't know that for sure until we get your son to the hospital," Billy replied. "Would you like to ride with us in the ambulance?"

"Yes, please," Sami replied.

"Then we need to go quickly. If it is his appendix, we don't want it to burst," Jacob added. Sami nodded in understanding and the EMTs began rolling Will out of the room.

They reached the hospital in record time and Sami squeezed Will's hand. "Hang in there, baby. We're at the hospital," she whispered, bending down towards her son's ear as she did so. Will looked at his mother, tears streaming down his face, and nodded.

"Okay Will, we are going to take you in to the hospital and find out what's wrong. How are you doing?" Jacob added.

"Hurts," Will moaned.

"All right. Well then, let's get moving."

Jacob opened up the doors to the ambulance and hopped out. Billy came around to the side and together, they pulled Will from the ambulance and began wheeling him towards the hospital. Sami followed close behind. "_Please let him be okay," _she thought to herself. A doctor was waiting for them outside the hospital doors.

"What do we got?" she asked.

"18 year old male, complaining of pain in his side. His mother took his temperature and got a reading of 104 degrees F," Jacob said.

"Okay let's get him inside," the doctor said. She leaned down towards Will. "Can you tell me your name?"

"W-Will," Will croaked.

"All right Will, we're going into the hospital now. You're going to be okay."

The EMTs and the doctor began rolling Will into the hospital with Sami in toe. "Will somebody tell me what's wrong with my son?" Sami asked frantically. The doctor who had met them outside looked up at Sami.

"We are going to find out, ma'am. I'm Dr. Terry. We will run some tests and someone will be out to let you know what's going on," Dr. Terry replied. "But we need to do it now. It seems to me that it could be his appendix. I'm going to need you to wait in the waiting room."

"But…" Sami argued.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but that's hospital policy," Dr. Terry replied. Sami sighed and nodded her understanding. She leaned forward and kissed Will on the forehead.

"The doctor is going to find out what's wrong, baby. I will be in the waiting room," Sami murmured. Will nodded.

"O-okay m-mom," Will whispered. Suddenly, he shouted in agony. His side felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly with a knife.

"Okay, let's get moving!" Dr. Terry said. Sami squeezed Will's hand and then watched as he disappeared behind double doors. Once he was out of sight, Sami went to the waiting room and sat down. Her heart was fluttering in her chest and she took deep breaths to try and calm herself.

"He's going to be okay. The doctor's are going to find out what's wrong," she said to herself. When Sami felt calm enough, she pulled out her cell in order to call Lucas.

"Well hello Sami. Calling to berate me more about Will?" Lucas answered snidely.

"Oh Lucas," Sami whimpered.

"What's wrong?" Lucas replied, his tone turning from annoyed to worried.

"I'm at the hospital. It's Will," she said.

"Say no more. I'll be there as soon as I can," Lucas replied. The phone beeped and Sami lowered it into her lap. She looked up at the clock on the wall, saw that it was 2 pm, and a though suddenly occurred to her.

"Sonny!" she almost shouted, startling a couple sitting across from her. "Sorry," Sami said before lifting up her cell once more. She located the number for the coffee shop and waited.

"You've reached the Coffee Bean. This is Sonny! How can I help you today?" Sonny answered.

"Sonny, it's Sami Brady," Sami replied.

"Ms. Brady? Hey, uh… what can I do for you?" Sonny asked in confusion. He hoped she wasn't calling to tell him not to stop by later.

"Sonny, I'm sorry to be calling you at work, but something's happened."

"Something happened? What do you mean? Is Will okay?"

"Sonny, I'm at the hospital right now. Will's fever spiked and his side hurts," Sami replied.

"Oh my God! What's wrong with him?" Sonny asked frantically.

"I don't know. They are doing tests now, but they think it's his appendix," Sami said.

"Shit!" Sonny cursed. "Sorry, Ms. Brady. Um… can I… can I come to the hospital?"

"Of course, Sonny," Sami replied.

"Okay… Um… I will get there as soon as I can. I hope he's okay."

"Me too, Sonny. See you soon," Sami replied. She hung up the phone and looked at the clock. How long was it going to take for them to tell her what was wrong with her baby?

About fifteen minutes later, Lucas arrived. He stopped at the nurse's station first. "I'm looking for my son? He was brought in awhile ago."

"What's your son's name?" the nurse asked.

"Will Horton," Lucas replied.

"Okay. Let me just look him up." The nurse typed Will's name at the computer and waited a moment. "All right, it says here that your son was brought into the ER. They are currently running some tests," the nurse said. "If you could just go sit in the waiting room, someone will come out and let you know what is going on."

"Thank you," Lucas said. Then he walked briskly towards the ER. He saw Sami sitting in a chair, staring at the clock. "Sami?"

Sami looked towards Lucas and immediately jumped up. "Lucas!" she exclaimed. Lucas hurried over to her.

"What happened?" Lucas demanded. Sami quickly filled him in.

"Oh Lucas, I hope he's okay…"


	3. Chapter 3

Sonny arrived at the hospital about five minutes after Lucas. "Sonny!" he heard a woman call out. Sonny turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw Sami waving at him. Next to her, sitting down, was Lucas. He was looking at Sonny with a glare on his face. Sonny took a deep breath and walked over to Will's parents.

"Hey Ms. Brady. Hello Mr. Horton," Sonny said.

"What is he doing here?" Lucas asked, looking to Sami and ignoring Sonny. Before Sami could respond, Sonny spoke up.

"I'm here for Will. Get over it," Sonny challenged Lucas. He wasn't going to let Lucas Horton bully him. Lucas stood up from the chair in anger.

"Didn't your parents teach you any manners? How dare you talk to me that way!" Lucas argued.

"How dare you treat me like some common slut!" Sonny shot back. Lucas stepped forward until he was in Sonny's face.

"Will may be fooled by this 'loving boyfriend' act, but I'm not," Lucas said through gritted teeth. Sonny clenched is fists at his sides.

"Just admit that this isn't about me trying to get your son in bed! You still can't accept Will because he's gay!" Sonny growled.

"Why you…" Lucas started to say before Sami interrupted.

"Hey! You two are making a scene! Lucas, sit back down. Right now," Sami ordered while stepping between the two men. Then she turned to Sonny. "You too. Sit." Sonny nodded and sat down in another chair. "Now, we are here for Will. This feud going on between you two is not important! You're acting like children!"

Sonny lowered his eyes in embarrassment while Lucas scowled. "Sorry, Ms. Brady," Sonny whispered.

"It's okay Sonny," Sami replied. She sat back down next to Lucas and turned to look at him. "As for you, Lucas, Sonny cares about Will and your accusations are unwarranted."

"Whatever," Lucas growled. He turned away from Sami.

Sami sighed and turned back to Sonny. "Thank you for coming, Sonny. I know Will will appreciate it."

"I care about him a lot, Ms. Brady. I just want him to be okay," Sonny said. His voice was laced in pain and Sami reached over to squeeze his hand.

"I know you do," Sami said.

Just then, Dr. Terry walked into the waiting room. Sami leapt from her seat. "How is Will?"

"Well it was definitely his appendix. He needs immediate surgery," Dr. Terry began. Lucas got up and stood next to Sami.

"Surgery?" Lucas asked.

"Who are you?" Dr. Terry asked.

"Will's father," Lucas replied.

"Ah. Well Mr. Horton, this kind of surgery is common. We should have your son's appendix out in about an hour, provided it didn't burst," Dr. Terry explained.

"And you don't know if it burst or not?" Lucas demanded.

"Unfortunately no. We won't know that until we actually get in there," Dr. Terry said.

"And if it did burst?" Sami interjected.

"Then the surgery gets more complicated. But let's not jump ahead of ourselves. The first thing we need to worry about is getting your son to surgery," Dr. Terry replied.

"How long will the surgery be?" Lucas asked.

"Ballpark? About an hour," Dr. Terry said. "I need to go now. Don't worry too much. Appendectomies are routine surgeries. I will take excellent care of your son."

"Thank you, Dr. Terry," Sami replied. The doctor nodded and headed back towards the double doors.

An hour later, Sonny was pacing the waiting room, Lucas kept glancing at his watch, and Sami was sitting with her head propped up on one arm. "Sonny, why don't you sit down?" Sami said as she watched her son's boyfriend pace the floor.

"I can't… I just… it's been an hour! Why hasn't the doctor come out yet?" Sonny said frantically.

"Calm down, Sonny. I'm sure the doctor will be out soon," Sami replied. "Please sit down."

Sonny took a deep breath and nodded. He sat down next to Sami and leaned forward, placing his head in his hands. His chest felt tight and his palms were sweaty. What if there were complications during the surgery? He and Will had just made up; he couldn't bear the thought of something horrible happening to Will.

Half an hour later, Dr. Terry finally appeared and she didn't look happy. Lucas was the first to see her and hopped up from the chair. "Dr. Terry? Why do you look so concerned? Did his appendix burst?" Sami got up and stood next to Lucas.

"No, his appendix did not burst. We were able to remove it but we found a mass on his large intestine," Dr. Terry announced.


	4. Chapter 4

"A-A mass?" Sami stuttered. "Like… a tumor?"

"Unfortunately, yes. We removed it and perform a biopsy to determine whether it is malignant or benign," Dr. Terry replied.

"Then what?" Lucas asked, his face paling.

"Well, if it is malignant, then we need to discuss treatment options. Now, it may be benign in which case your son will be okay. However, I don't want to give you false hope. There is a chance that the mass is cancerous," Dr. Terry explained.

"Oh God," Sami whispered, her hand clutched to her chest. Lucas ran a hand over his face.

"Okay… um, can we see him?" Lucas asked.

"Of course. The anesthesia takes some time to wear off so he won't be awake for awhile," Dr. Terry explained. "We are getting him settled in a room now."

"Thank you, doctor," Lucas replied.

Dr. Terry nodded. "I will be around as soon as we find out anything."

"What room is he in?" Sami asked quietly.

"205."

Lucas and Sami thanked the doctor. Then Sami turned towards Sonny and saw that the seat he had been sitting in was empty. "Where did Sonny go?"

"Who cares?" Lucas grumbled.

"Um, excuse me," a woman said. Sami looked over towards her.

"Yes?" she said.

"Are you looking for that young man who was with you earlier?" the woman asked.

"Yes! Do you know where he went?"

"He asked me to give you a message. He said he was going to run to the bathroom real quick because he suddenly felt sick to his stomach," the woman replied.

"Thank you," Sami said. She turned to Lucas. "Why don't you head to Will's room? I will be there as soon as I can. I'm going to go find Sonny."

"Why? Our son is the priority right now," Lucas replied.

"You know what, Lucas? You might not believe it, but Sonny cares about Will. I'm not going to just abandon him because you can't get over your hatred for him," Sami said angrily.

"Fine," Lucas said. He stalked off towards his son's room while Sami headed off for the bathrooms.

Sami found the closest bathroom and was relieved to find that it was a family bathroom. She hoped that it was the one Sonny went to. She carefully pushed open the door and peaked her head inside. From one of the stalls, she heard someone retching. "Sonny?"

Sonny left the waiting room as soon as Dr. Terry announced her discovery. He felt his stomach turn and couldn't fight the urge to vomit. Sonny sprang up from the chair and quickly walked over to an elderly woman who was in the waiting room. "Excuse me, ma'am. Could you do me a huge favor?"

"What can I do for you?" the woman said.

"Do you see those people over there talking to the doctor?" Sonny asked, gesturing towards Sami and Lucas.

"I sure do, honey," the woman said.

"Can you tell them I ran to the bathroom? I'm feeling a little queasy," Sonny requested.

"Of course I can, young man," she acquiesced.

"Thank you," Sonny said. Then he high tailed it to the bathroom. Sonny located the closest bathroom and pushed his way inside. He just barely reached the toilet before he felt his lunch rise up in his throat. He couldn't believe what the doctor had announced! He just knew something bad was going to happen today, as soon as Sami called him to let him know Will was in the hospital.

Just then, Sonny heard his name being called. He wiped his lips with toilet paper, flushed, and emerged from the stall. "Yeah, Ms. Brady. I'm here," he muttered.

"Are you all right?" Sami asked.

"I'm fine. I just felt a little sick," Sonny replied.

"I know how you feel…" Sami said.

"What did the doctor say?"

"They removed the mass and are going to perform a biopsy. Dr. Terry doesn't know if it's benign or malignant yet," Sami explained. "Why don't you come with me to Will's room? He should be waking up soon."

"Okay… um, will Mr. Horton mind?" Sonny asked, unsure.

"You let me worry about Mr. Horton. I know how much you care for my son and I know he'd appreciate you being there," Sami said.

Sonny nodded in appreciation. He was grateful for Sami's support and could feel all these emotions rising up. Tears welled in his eyes and Sami frowned. She stepped forward and pulled Sonny into her arms.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. We don't know anything yet," Sami said, though she didn't believe it herself. She could feel her own heart breaking at the thought of her son being diagnosed with cancer. "Let's just find his room first and wait for him to wake up."

Sami and Sonny arrived at Will's room and found Lucas sitting next to the bed. "Has he woken up?" Sami asked.

Lucas turned towards the door. "Not yet… but he has stirred a little."

Sami walked over to the bed and sat down in an empty chair on the other side of Will's hospital bed. She took his hand and stroked the back of it. "Please let him be okay," she whispered.

Lucas looked up and reached across Will to grasp Sami's free hand. "He's going to be okay, Sami. No matter what happens, we are going to help him through this."

Sonny stood back by the door awkwardly. He felt as though he was intruding, especially knowing how Lucas felt about him. But he wanted to be there when Will woke up. Sonny sat in a chair by the door and pulled his knees up to his chest. He watched as Will's parents sat by their son's side. Sonny hoped Will would wake up soon. Tears formed in his eyes as he thought about what would happen if the mass from Will's intestine was malignant.

Fifteen minutes later, Will's eyes began to flutter open. "Hey baby," Sami murmured. Will looked at his mother in confusion.

"Mom?" he rasped.

"Yeah, Will. I'm here," Sami said.

"How are you feeling son?" Lucas asked.

Will turned his head until he was looking at his dad. "What? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Sami asked.

"All I remember is feeling sick and then pain… horrible pain," Will replied.

"You had an appendix attack," Sami replied. She reached up and stroked Will's forehead. You just got out of surgery about half an hour ago."

"Oh. I feel odd," Will said.

"That's probably the anesthesia," Lucas replied. "And I'm sure Dr. Terry put you on some painkillers."

"How long until I can get out of here?" Will asked. "Hospital's give me the heebie jeebies."

Lucas and Sami exchanged glances. Will picked up on the tension immediately. "What's wrong?"

Sami was the first to speak up. "Will… the doctor found a tumor on your large intestine."

Will felt his stomach drop. A tumor? "I… I have c-cancer?"

"Now we don't know anything yet, Will. The doctor needs to perform a biopsy to find out if it is cancer or not," Lucas said.

"But… but if it is?"

"Then we will figure it out," Sami added. She squeezed Will's hand.

"I'm going to go see if I can find Dr. Terry. Maybe she knows something now," Lucas said.

"Okay, dad," Will said.

Lucas patted Will's shoulder and got up from the chair. He made his way towards the door and saw Sonny sitting in a chair looking lost and upset. It was in that moment that Lucas realized how much of an ass he had been. Before leaving the room, he squeezed Sonny's shoulder. Sonny looked up in surprise and then smiled appreciatively. Lucas gave him a small smile back and left the room.

Will watched Lucas leave and noticed Sonny for the first time. "Sonny!" He held up a hand and Sonny sprang up from the bed. He walked over to the bed and took Will's hand. Then Sonny knelt forward and planted a chaste kiss on Will's lips.

"Hey Will," Sonny whispered.

"Sonny's been here since before your surgery," Sami explained. He came to the hospital as soon as I called him."

"You did?" Will asked Sonny.

"Yeah. I care about you, Will. I wanted to be here for you," Sonny replied.

"I'm glad you're here. I'm scared," Will admitted.

"I know, Will. It's going to be okay," Sonny said. He lifted Will's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. "I'm going to be there for you."


	5. Chapter 5

Sonny returned to his apartment three hours later, feeling numb. Dr. Terry had come back to the room an hour after Will woke up from surgery to deliver distressing news: the tumor she had found on Will's intestine was malignant. Sonny plopped down on the couch and though back to what had transpired only hours before.

_Lucas hadn't been able to find Dr. Terry and now, 45 minutes later, the doctor still hadn't come to tell them the results. The anesthesia had slowly worn off and Will was sitting up talking to his parents and Sonny. _

_ "Did she say how long it would take to do the biopsy?" Will asked Sami._

_ "No baby. She didn't," Sami answered. _

_ "This waiting is torture! God mom, what if…" Will trailed off and looked down at his hands. He started twisting the sheets around. Sonny gently placed his hands over Will's. _

_ "Stop. Everything is going to be okay," he said, not fully believing it himself. Will looked back at Sonny._

_ "I hope you're right," Will muttered. _

_ Dr. Terry walked into the room moments later. Lucas immediately stood up from the chair by the door. "What did the biopsy show?" he asked. _

_ Dr. Terry took a deep breath. "The bad news is, Will colon cancer," she began. _

_ Sami paled, Lucas sat back down in the chair, and Sonny felt his heart in his throat. But Will was eerily calm. "What's… what's the good news," he asked when no one else spoke up. _

_ Dr. Terry turned to address Will. "We caught it early. I want to go back in and make sure there aren't additional tumors. We will also have to do some more tests. Then we can discuss treatment options." _

_ "What kind of treatments?" Sami asked after finding her voice. _

_ "Radiation, for example," Dr. Terry replied. _

A beep from his answering machine interrupted Sonny's memory. He slowly got up from the couch and went over to the phone. He pushed the red button and was greeted by his mother's voice. Sonny had called her hours earlier to tell her where he would be and she must have called to find out what was going on. "Sonny? It's mom. Are you there? Well you must still be at the hospital. Did you turn your cell phone off? I tried calling you on it too. Okay, well I hope Will's surgery went well. Call me!"

The message was from two hours ago. Another message began to play. This one was from an hour ago. "Sonny? It's mom again. Are you there? Please call me as soon as you get this message."

The last message was from ten minutes before Sonny got back to his apartment. "Jackson Kiriakis, pick up your phone! Where are you?" Adrienne demanded. "Call me back!" The answering machine clicked off and Sonny felt bad for missing so many calls from his mother. However, this feeling was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil Sonny was experiencing right now. Instead of calling his mother back, he decided to go to his parents' house. He felt like a small, little boy again and he just wanted to be held. Sonny grabbed his car keys and headed off to see his mom.

Adrienne was sitting by the phone, tapping her foot. She hadn't heard from Sonny in over four hours and was really starting to feel very worried. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. She reluctantly got up from the chair and walked briskly to the front door. She looked through the peephole and sighed in relief; it was Sonny. She quickly opened the door. "Sonny! Where have you been? How's…" she trailed off as soon as she saw the pained expression on her son's face. "Sonny?"

"Mom…" Sonny said, his voice cracking. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Oh Sonny! Come here, baby," Adrienne murmured. She pulled her son into a hug and Sonny clung to his mom in desperation. He buried his head in her shoulder and started sobbing. "Oh dear… let's go sit down, sweetheart."

Sonny pulled away and nodded. "O-okay," he stuttered. He allowed his mother to lead him to the couch and they sat down.

"All right, Sonny. Tell me what's wrong," Adrienne said. She reached over and stroked Sonny's cheek.

"It's Will…Th-the doctor f-found something during his appendectomy," Sonny replied.

"What did they find?"

"He uh… he has c-cancer," Sonny whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

Sonny decided to visit Will at the hospital during his lunch break. When he got to the room, Sonny carefully opened the door and stuck his head in. Will looked towards the door and a huge grin spread across his face. "Sonny!"

"Hey Will. How are you feeling this morning?" Sonny asked. He walked over to the bed and sat down in a nearby chair.

"Oh, I'm great," Will replied.

"Will…"

"Okay, okay. I'm in a little pain," Will replied, before looking down at his hands. Sonny gently lifted Will's head by placing two fingers under his chin and looked in his eyes searchingly.

"Come on Will. Talk to me. What are you thinking?"

"I don't know… I… I feel numb. Like I'm watching this happen to someone else. I just… Sonny, I have c- I can't even say it…" Will admitted. Sonny frowned and squeezed Will's hand.

"Dr. Terry went in to find out if you had any more tumors already, right?"

"Yeah… she didn't find anything. But I still have to go through radiation and there's still a chance it could come b-back," Will replied, his voice cracking. A single tear trickled down his cheek.

Sonny felt his heart clench and he got up from the chair. "Scoot over," Sonny ordered. Will obliged and Sonny climbed up onto the bed. Will snuggled into Sonny's side and laid his head on Sonny's shoulder. Sonny wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and laid his head on Will's. He felt hot tears seep into his shirt and Sonny squeezed Will's shoulders gently. "Shh. It's going to be okay."

I'm just s-s-so glad you're here," Will sobbed. "To th-think I almost sc-screwed it up…"

"Hey! Hey, that's in the past. Right now, let's focus on you. I'm going to be there for you, no mater what," Sonny said.

Will nodded gratefully and allowed the tears to fall freely. Sonny rubbed his arm and kissed Will's temple. He hated seeing someone he cared about go through this! Sonny was determined to be there for Will.

On Monday, Will was released from the hospital. Before he left, Dr. Terry had wanted him to have his first radiation treatment. "Now Will," Dr. Terry said after Will got dressed, "as soon as you get home, I want you to get in bed. You might not feel it now, but in awhile you are going to be experiencing fatigue and nausea. Make sure to stay hydrated."

"Okay," Will said, nodding. "And I really can't take any pain killers for the pain from the surgery?"

"Unfortunately, no. But think of it this way. What's a little pain when it means going through radiation to eradicate cancer?" Dr. Terry pointed out.

"I guess…"

"I know it's scary, Will. But it seems like you have lots of support from your family and boyfriend," Dr. Terry replied. "Now, for the next couple weeks, I want you to take it easy. No strenuous activity."

Sami, who had been silent during the exchange between the doctor and Will, finally spoke up. "I will make sure he takes it easy," she said.

"Good. Now you are free to go. I will see you next week for your next treatment," Dr. Terry said.

"Do I have to be taken out in a wheelchair?" Will asked.

"Yes. It's hospital policy. Besides, you only had surgery a couple days ago," Dr. Terry said.

Will groaned. "But…"

"Will, you need to listen the doctor," Sami interrupted. Will sighed.

"Fine."

An hour later, Sami and Will were fighting. "Dr. Terry's orders were, and I quote, "I want you to take it easy," Sami argued.

"Mom! Going on a walk outside isn't classified as strenuous activity!" Will shot back.

"Will, listen to me! You only just had surgery a couple days ago. You need to stay in bed. And, what happens if you go walking outside and get sick? Hmm? What then?" Sami asked.

"I'll be fine! I've been lying in bed forever! I need to move around," Will moaned.

"You aren't going on a walk and that's final!" Sami said.

"I'm 18! I don't have to listen to this," Will growled.

"You live under my roof and you will do what I say. I don't think you realize how sick you are going to feel in a little bit," Sami said.

"Mom…" Will started to whine.

"William Robert Horton," Sami said firmly. "You will get in bed right now and that's final."

Will stared at his mother, his mouth agape. She rarely used his full name and when she did, he knew she meant business. He snarled and stomped off to his room. Sami flinched when his door slammed. Then she sighed and headed to the kitchen to get some coffee. She felt like a bad person keeping her son from taking a walk outside. Sami wanted him to be able to go on walks and not have to worry about tearing stitches or throwing up. Hell, she wished this whole ordeal would just go away. How could this have happened? She didn't think there was a history of colon cancer in her family… Maybe in Lucas's? Either way, she wanted her son to be healthy again.

Will stared at his alarm clock and watched as the minutes ticked by. He was experiencing mixed emotions. On one hand, he was angry that his mom had him on such a short leash. It made him feel like a child. But on the other hand, he knew he was just being protective. And then there was the cancer. Would radiation help? Would it come back? Why was it happening to him? Finally, there was Sonny. Will had almost screwed up things with him and was extremely grateful for Sonny's forgiveness. Will was also grateful that Sonny was going to be there for him.

About thirty minutes later, Sami decided to go check on her son. When she entered his room, Sami found Will curled up on top of his bed in a fetal position. He was clutching his stomach and squeezing his eyes. "Will?" she murmured.

"I feel awful," Will groaned.

Sami frowned and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What can I do?"

"Nothing," Will replied.

"Can I get you some water?" Sami asked. Will shook his head. "Okay baby. If you need anything, let me know."

"I'm cold. Could you cover me with a blanket?" Will requested.

"Sure, sweetheart! Gladly," Sami said. She went to retrieve a blanket from the couch and brought it back to Will's bedroom. She covered Will up and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. "Hang in there, baby. Call me if you need anything else."

"Okay," Will whispered pitifully.

Sami quietly left the bedroom and shut Will's door. Then she made her way to the couch to watch some television. About ten minutes into the soap she was watching, her phone rang. Sighing, Sami grabbed her cell phone off the coffee table and answered. "This is Sami," she began. "What? No, I can't come in to work today! Why? I told you why this morning! Will just got home from the hospital and… what? Oh for Pete's sake. Okay. I might be awhile though. I need to find someone to stay with Will." Sami shut off her phone angrily. She knew Lucas was busy, so she couldn't call him. Then she thought of Sonny.

"This is Sonny," Sonny answered on the third ring.

"Hello Sonny, it's Sami. I'm so sorry for bothering you," Sami began.

"That's okay, Ms. Brady. Everything okay? Is Will all right?"

"Not really; he's feeling very sick right now. But that's a side effect of radiation. Anyways, I was supposed to have work off today but they are insistent that I come in," Sami explained.

"Say no more. I'll be there in fifteen," Sonny replied.

"Thank you, Sonny. I really appreciate all you are doing for Will and I'm sure he does too," Sami said.

"No problem, Ms. Brady. I really care about him and want to be there for him in any way I can," Sonny said.

Sami and Sonny hung up. Then Sami went to her room to change into something more appropriate for work while she waited for Sonny to arrive.


	7. Chapter 7

Sami was ready to head out the door as soon as Sonny arrived. She rushed to open the door when she heard him knock. "Hey there, Sonny. Thanks again for coming over," Sami said gratefully.

"No problem, Ms. Brady. Is Will in his bedroom?" Sonny asked.

"Yes. Now, if you need anything, my cell number is on the fridge. Oh, and there's soda in the fridge if you want. I shouldn't be more than an hour," Sami explained.

"Take your time. I've got this," Sonny said.

"Thank you, thank you," Sami replied and then she was out the door.

* * *

Sonny made his way towards Will's bedroom and slowly opened the door. Will was fast asleep, so Sonny carefully closed the door and went into the living room. He turned on the television and got lost in a movie.

Will was dead to the world when he suddenly found himself in the hospital. "Funny, I don't remember coming to the hospital…" he said to himself. Just then, Dr. Terry entered the room looking grave.

"Will… I'm afraid I have terrible news. The cancer has spread," Dr. Terry said.

"What? But… but you said you didn't find anything when I had my surgery!" Will insisted. He could feel panic rising up in his throat.

"I know. I am so sorry," Dr. Terry replied, sympathetically.

"Okay… so now what? Do I have to have more surgery?" Will asked. Dr. Terry shook her head sadly.

"Will, there's nothing I can do. The cancer has spread too much. You need to prepare yourself."

"Prep-prepare myself? What… what does th-that mean?" Will stuttered, though he knew the answer.

"You only have about a week to live," Dr. Terry announced.

"What!? But… that's not enough time!" Will shouted. Suddenly, Sonny entered the room.

"Sorry, I had a phone call. So, what's going on?" Sonny asked.

"Dr. Terry just told me I only have a week to live!" Will cried. Sonny stared at Will in shock.

"How is that possible?" Sonny asked. That's when Dr. Terry spoke up.

"I will leave you two alone. It looks like you need some alone time." She bowed out of the room.

"I'm just… I'm glad you're here for me at least," Will said gratefully. To his surprise, Sonny scoffed.

"There for you? Look Will, I can't be with someone who is going to die in a week! I'm sorry but we're over," Sonny replied. With that, he turned around and walked out the door.

Will jumped up from the bed and tried to chase after Sonny. But, he found that he couldn't move. Will called out helplessly. "Wait! Sonny, come back! Please don't leave me! Sonny!"

* * *

Sonny jumped when he heard screams of desperation coming from Will's bedroom. He rushed towards the bedroom, threw open the door and found Will tossing and turning in bed. Will was screaming, "Don't leave me! Please, come back! Sonny! Sonny!" Sonny's heart clenched when he heard the panic in Will's voice. He hurried over to the bed and sat down.

"Will? Will, wake up," Sonny shouted over Will. He shook Will's shoulder and Will jolted upright, his eyes flying open. Will looked around the room wildly, confused for a moment about where he was. Sonny reached over and caressed Will's cheek. "Hey. It's okay, you're safe now."

Will's eyes fell on Sonny and he let out a sigh of relief. "S-Sonny. You're here."

"Yeah. Your mom had to go into work so she asked me to come stay with you for a little. Do you want to tell me what you were dreaming about?" Sonny asked.

Will nodded his head, took a deep breath, and recounted what had happened in the dream. As soon as he was finished, tears welled up in his eyes. Sonny scooted closer to Will and hugged him close. "Shh, it's okay. It was just a dream. I'm not going anywhere," he whispered.

"But what if it spreads? What if it comes back?" Will sobbed.

"Still not going anywhere. Will… I, I think I'm falling in love with you," Sonny admitted. Will pulled away and looked at Sonny in surprise.

Will sniffed and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "You… you do?"

"Yeah," Sonny said.

"I… I'm falling in love with you too!" Will confessed. Sonny grinned and leaned forward to kiss Will's lips. Will responded immediately and scooted closer so he could wrap his arms around Sonny's neck.

All of a sudden, Will wrenched away. He scrambled out of bed and Sonny almost had to dive off of the bed to avoid Will crashing into him. Sonny watched as his boyfriend ran for the bathroom. Seconds later, Will was retching in the toilet.

Sonny got up off the bed and entered the bathroom. He knelt down by Will and rubbed his back as Will emptied out the contents of his stomach. The vomiting lasted for a couple more minutes. When he was finished, Will sat back and leaned into Sonny. "Gee, was kissing me that bad?" Sonny teased.

"Har de har har," Will mocked. "Very funny. Ugh, I feel awful."

Sonny chuckled and wrapped his arms around Will and rubbed his stomach. "I know you do. Do you want to go back to bed?"

Will groaned and then launched himself towards the toilet again. He threw up again before collapsing back into Sonny's arms. "I hate throwing up."

"Who doesn't?" Sonny asked. "Come on Will. Let's get you back to bed."

"Nooo," Will moaned. "I am going to stay right here on the floor. I can't move." He leaned forward and rested his arms on the edge of the toilet. Sonny laughed again.

"Will, you can't lay on the toilet all afternoon," Sonny said. He stood up from the floor and extended his hand. "Come on." Will looked up at Sonny and sighed. He grabbed Sonny's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. He leaned heavily on Sonny as they began walking towards Will's room. Will felt a little dizzy and unsteady on his feet. Suddenly, he swayed. Sonny's reflexes kicked in and he steadied his boyfriend. "Whoa there, babe."

"I should have stayed on the floor in the bathroom," Will said. Another wave of dizziness came over him. "Can we sit on the floor? I'm dizzy."

"Well then let me help you. Put your arms around my neck," Sonny ordered. Will frowned in confusion, but did what he was told. Then Sonny bent down slightly and whisked Will up into his arms.

Will yelped in surprise. "Holy crap!" he exclaimed. "You're very strong."

Sonny laughed. "I work out."

"Well normally, I'd feel emasculated from being picked up like that. But that was sexy."

"What can I say? I'm a sexy guy," Sonny joked. He began carrying Will towards the bedroom while Will lay his head on Sonny's shoulder. Sonny kept walking until he felt his knees hit Will's bed. Then he lowered Will onto the bed.

"Thank you, Sonny. You're like… my knight in shining armor," Will gushed.

"You're welcome. Now, how about some ginger ale?" Sonny suggested.

"Okay," Will said. Sonny squeezed Will's knee and began walking towards the kitchen. "Sonny?"

Sonny stopped in his tracks and turned back around. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

Sonny grinned. "I love you too."


	8. Author's Note

Dear Readers:

I am sorry if any of you who follow this story were excited to see I updated and were disappointed to find that this update is an author's note. However, I really wanted to take the time to thank you.

First let me tell you a little about my experience with writing fan fiction. I started writing Harry Potter fan fiction but soon realized that I wasn't as good at writing fantasy. I have probably been writing fan fiction on and off for five years and have began writing more often. Most frequently, I write LuRe fan fiction on the live journal community page. Recently, I started watching Days of Our Lives: the Will story line on you tube and fell in love with the character. That's when I decided to try my hand in writing fiction for DooL. (haha, I've actually gone on hiatus with one of my LuRe stories for this fic… I should probably update that soon too…). Finally, I generally write Hurt/Comfort. That's the genre I've developed my abilities in.

Which brings me to why I am writing this note. I just wanted to thank all of my readers for your encouraging comments and wonderful reviews. This is the first time I have gotten this much response on one of my fics. It's often frustrating not to get feedback from people because the main reason I write fan fiction is for others. So I really appreciate the response I've received from Reconciliation and Ginger Ale. As such, I will definitely be writing more fics for DooL.

Thanks again for your responses!

Bkwerm22

P.S.

I am going on hiatus for this story this week for the holidays. However, I hope to have TWO updates for you next week.


	9. Chapter 8

Sonny reentered Will's bedroom and found him fast asleep. Chuckling, he placed the glass of ginger ale on the bedside table and slowly backed out of the room. Sonny carefully closed the bedroom door and headed back to the living room to watch some television until Sami came home. As soon as he sat down on the couch, his cell phone rang. Sonny quickly answered his phone so as not to wake Will. "Hello?" he said quietly.

"Hey Sonny, It's Sami. Listen, I am so sorry but I'm going to be later than I expected. But I can try and get a hold of Lucas if you have plans," Sami said.

"It's okay, Ms. Brady. Take your time. And I don't mind staying longer," Sonny replied.

"Are you sure?" Sami asked.

"Definitely."

"Okay. How's he doing?"

"Well, he had a pretty bad nightmare and he's thrown up twice," Sonny replied.

"Oh no! My poor baby! What was the nightmare about?" Sami inquired.

"He dreamt that the cancer had spread and was only given a week to live," Sonny explained. He heard Sami take a sharp intake of breath.

"My God! That is a terrible dream! Is he okay now?"

"Yeah. He's just a little weak now. After he woke up from the nightmare, Will had to run to the bathroom to throw up. Then when I insisted he get back in bed, he could barely stand. I got him some ginger ale, but he fell back asleep," Sonny said.

"Oh dear. Well, it sounds like you're taking good care of him. Thanks again for doing this," Sami said. "I'll try to hurry up here."

"No problem, Ms. Brady. I'm happy to help out Will in any way I can."

"I can see that. Okay, well if you need anything, call!" Sami instructed.

"I will. Bye," Sonny responded.

"Good bye," Sami said and then she hung up.

About 20 minutes into the movie he was watching, Sonny heard Will come up behind him. He turned around in his seat and frowned. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I don't want to be in bed anymore. What are you doing?" Will asked.

"I'm watching a movie. Why don't you join me?" Sonny said. Will smiled and came around to the front of the couch to sit down. Sonny scooted over until he was at the end of the couch and patted his lap. Will smiled again and laid his head in his boyfriend's lap. Then he pulled his feet up onto the couch. "Comfortable?"

"Mm-hmm," Will mumbled. Sonny smiled and began stroking Will's head. For the next half hour, the two boys watched the movie in silence. Next thing Sonny knew, he could hear Will snoring. Sonny chuckled and looked down. He looked upon Will's face and frowned; Will looked exhausted. Sonny hoped that the radiation treatments would work so Will wouldn't have to go through chemo. He looked around and saw a blanket draped over the couch they were sitting on. So Sonny reached over and grabbed it so he could cover Will up. Once he was finished, Sonny turned his attention back to the movie.

An hour passed, the movie ended, and another movie began. Every once in awhile, Sonny would hear Will whimper. When this happened, Sonny gently stroked Will's hair and the pained expression on Will's face softened. Sonny wondered what Will was dreaming about and hoped that it wasn't as bad as the nightmare that had haunted him earlier.

About two hours after Sami called to say that she would be late, Sonny heard a key turn in the latch and Sami walked in. He turned his head and put a finger to his lips. Sami nodded in understanding and gently closed the door. She put her purse on a chair and walked over to Sonny. "How's he doing?" she whispered.

"He's okay. He's been sleeping for a couple of hours now, but it's been a very restless sleep," Sonny replied.

"Has he gotten sick anymore?" Sami asked.

Sonny shook his head.

"Okay, well I am so sorry I am late. Thank you so much for staying longer," Sami said softly.

"No problem," Sonny said.

"Well let's wake him up so I can get him back to bed," Sami suggested.

"We don't need to wake him," Sonny said. He carefully lifted Will's head off his lap and slipped off the couch. Then Sonny bent down and put one arm under Will's legs and another arm beneath his shoulders. With a deep breath, Sonny tenderly lifted Will up off the couch.

Although Will didn't wake up, he must have sensed something because he nestled his head into Sonny's neck. Sonny smiled and carried Will back towards the bedroom. Sami watched in wonder as Sonny effortlessly carried her son to bed.

In the bedroom, Sonny gently laid Will down. He covered Will up with the comforter and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. Sonny stroked Will's hair and whispered, "I love you," before exiting the room.

When Sonny emerged from the bedroom and closed the door behind him, Sami came up and gave him a hug. "Thank you so much for doing this, Sonny!"

"Of course. Tell Will I said good-bye?" Sonny asked.

"Definitely. Have a good rest of the day," Sami said.

"You do the same," Sonny replied. Then he let himself out of Sami's apartment.

The next week, Will had his second radiation treatment. He felt weak from the first treatment and hoped this next one wouldn't leave him much more weak. Will had no such luck. About an hour after Lucas dropped him off back at the apartment, Will got sick.

Sami heard Will retching and quickly grabbed some Gatorade from the fridge. She entered the bathroom and waited until Will finished throwing up. Then she knelt down beside him. "Wil, honey, how about some Gatorade? It will help," Sami suggested.

Will nodded. "Okay," he whispered.

Sami handed him the glass and Will took it gratefully. He took a couple small sips and closed his eyes. "Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome, baby. Do you think you could eat some chicken noodle soup? You need to eat something so you get some kind of nutrients in your system," Sami suggested.

"I'm not hungry," he groaned.

"Will…"

"Mom, stop. Can you just help me back to bed?" Will asked. Sami sighed.

"Sure thing, honey," she replied. She helped Will up off the floor and supported him as they walked back to the bedroom. His entire body ached and Will just wanted it to stop. After Will lay down on the bed, Sami covered him up with a blanket. "I have an idea! What if I asked your dad to go get you a small television for your bedroom? You could watch a movie!"

"That's okay, mom. I just want to sleep," Will said.

"If you're sure…"

"Mom, stop hovering. I'm fine," Will grumbled. His mom had been getting on his nerves the last couple days. She kept asking him if he needed anything or if she could do anything. He knew her heart was in the right place, but he just wanted to be left alone.

"All right baby," Sami said. She quickly left the room and shut the door behind her. Sami had been feeling incredibly helpless the last couple weeks and she just wished there was something she could do. She knew that Will was starting to get annoyed, but Sami couldn't help it. Her baby was sick and she wanted him to get better.

An hour later, Sami was getting some coffee when she heard the yelling. Alarmed, she put down her coffee mug and rushed to Will's room. He was sitting up in bed with his arms shielding his head. Will rocked back and forth and Sami felt panicked. Quickly, Sami rushed over and sat on the bed. "Will? Are you all right?! What's wrong?"

Will's head snapped up and he looked around in confusion. When he realized he was in his room, Will burst into tears. Sami moved closer to her son and pulled him into a hug. She stroked his head gently. "Shh, shh. You're safe now," she kept repeating. Will clung desperately to his mother and sobbed hysterically. Sami was becoming increasingly worried. What had Will been dreaming about that had him so upset?

When Will stopped crying, Sami pulled away and looked in his eyes searchingly. "Do you want to tell me what you were dreaming about?"

"I… I d-died," he whimpered.

"Oh sweetie!" Sami said, pulling Will into another hug.

"Mom what if… what if…" Will trailed off and took a shuddering breath.

"Oh honey, you aren't going to die. Not for a very long time," Sami said.

Will pulled away. "How do you know? I have… I have cancer mom!"

"Will, baby, you're getting treated right now! And they got the tumor out," Sami tried to help.

"So? It could still come back," Will insisted. He wiped away his tears in frustration and looked down at his hands. Sami put two fingers under Will's chin and lifted his head until he was looking in her eyes.

"Will, if it comes back, we will deal with it. But you can't think like that! You need to be positive," Sami said.

Suddenly, Will quickly got up out of bed. "Be positive! Mom! I have fucking cancer!" he shouted.

"Will calm…" Sami began.

"Don't tell me to calm down, mom!" Will interrupted. He began pacing the room. "It could come back! And what if it does?"

"Will, please!"

"I need to get out of here," Will shouted. He went into his closet and grabbed some shoes. Then he hurriedly put them on.

"Will, stop. You just had radiation therapy today! You should be resting," Sami said.

"Resting? I've been resting forever! I'm going out!" Will argued. He left the room in a huff. Sami flinched when she heard the apartment door slam.

She sighed and went into the kitchen to grab her coffee. After taking a sip, Sami got out her cell phone and tried calling Will. After four rings, the phone went right to voicemail. "Will, please. I know you're upset but you need to come home and rest!" Sami hung up the phone and sighed. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Sami stopped dead when she heard rain hitting her window. "Shit," she hissed. Then she picked up her cell again to call Lucas.

"What's up, Sami?" Lucas answered on the first ring.

"Lucas, Will just stormed out of the apartment. It's raining and he won't pick up his cell phone," Sami explained.

"Okay...I'll go out looking for him. Why don't you call Sonny? Maybe Will went to see him," Lucas suggested.

"Good idea. Thanks Lucas," Sami replied. "I hope he doesn't get sick."

"He'll be okay. We'll find him," Lucas said. They said their goodbyes and hung up. Then Sami tried Sonny.

"Hey Ms. Brady, do you need me to come over again?" Sonny answered.

"So Will isn't with you?" Sami asked.

"Um, no… I thought he had radiation today?" Sonny replied.

"He did," Sami said. She then explained what had happened. "I called Lucas and he's out looking for him. If you see him, can you tell him to come home? It's raining and he can't afford to get sick right now."

"Of course!" Sonny replied.

"Thank you."


	10. Chapter 9

When Sami and Sonny hung up, Sonny grabbed his coat and an umbrella and headed out of his apartment. He hoped he would be able to find Will soon.

Sonny was walking through Horton square in search of Will, when he saw him walking through the rain with his jacked pulled around his shoulders. "Will!" Sonny exclaimed. Will looked up in surprise and Sonny rushed over with his umbrella. "What are you doing out in the rain? Your mom called me and she's really worried."

"I n-n-needed t-t-to get out of th-the apartm-ment," Will replied, his teeth chattering.

"Will, you could get sick out in the rain! Come on, let's go to back to my apartment," Sonny suggested. Will nodded and allowed Sonny to lead him towards his coffee shop. He was a little weak from the radiation and had to lean heavily on Sonny. Sonny gently wrapped an arm around Will's waist and held the umbrella with his other hand.

They reached Sonny's apartment building and Sonny closed up the umbrella so he could open the door. He ushered Will inside and lead him to the elevator. When the elevator reached Sonny's floor, the couple exited and Sonny helped Will to his apartment.

Not a word was spoken as Sonny let them into his apartment. He guided Will to the bathroom and turned on the shower so it was hot but not too hot. Then he sat Will down on the closed toilet lid and lifted one of his legs to take off a shoe. He took off the other shoe as well, followed by the socks. Sonny knelt down on his knees and slid Will's coat off his shoulders. Soon, he'd removed Will's jeans and button down shirt. Once Will was down to his boxers, Sonny helped Will up. The entire time Sonny was undressing Will, Will was staring blankly ahead. Sonny wanted to know what Will was thinking about, but right now that wasn't important. He quickly stripped down to his boxers as well, knowing Will was in no state to stand up alone at the moment. "Okay, come on Will."

Sonny hoisted Will up by his arms and guided him into the shower. He maneuvered Will so his back was to the water. Will leaned into Sonny and rested his forehead on Sonny's shoulder. Sonny felt Will's shoulders shaking and knew he was sobbing. He rubbed his boyfriend's back as the water cascaded down upon them. Sonny let the water run over them for about five minutes, enough to warm Will up. Then he shut off the water and helped Will out.

"Let's get you dried off. Then you can wear some of my sweats," Sonny suggested. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Will's shoulders. He grabbed a towel for himself and wrapped it around his waist.

Ten minutes later, Will and Sonny were dressed in sweats. Sonny sat Will down on the couch and pulled out his cell phone. Sami picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Sami, it's Sonny. I found him," he said.

"Oh thank God! Is he okay?" Sami asked.

"Yeah… okay being the operative word. He was soaked to the bone when I found him. I brought him back to my apartment and got him in to the hot shower. He's in dry clothes now," Sonny explained.

"Thank you so much, Sonny," Sami replied. "I'll call Lucas and let him know where Will is."

"Sounds good, Ms. Brady," Sonny said. They hung up and Sonny went back to the couch to join Will. He sat down and looked at Will. "I called your mom. She's going to call your dad."

Will nodded. "Kay."

"Will, why did you leave your mom's apartment? Your immune system is down and you could get sick walking in the rain," Sonny scolded.

"I needed to get out of there," Will said simply. This was followed by a sneeze.

"Shit! Will, I really hope you didn't get sick. I'm going to make you some tea," Sonny said.

"I don't want tea," Will grumbled.

"Will…" Sonny began. This set Will off.

"This is exactly why I needed to get out! My mom was hovering too!" Will shouted in anger.

"She's your mother. She's worried about you," Sonny replied.

"I'm not a child, but she's treating me like one!" Will insisted. Sonny crossed his arms.

"Well you sure are acting like a child," Sonny shot back. Will glared at him and turned away. Sonny sighed and sat back down on the couch. He took Will's hands in his and squeezed gently. "Look at me."

Will sighed and turned to look at Sonny. "What?"

"I understand that you're going through something terrible," Sonny began.

Will wrenched his hands away. "You don't understand anything! You don't have cancer! I could die!" Sonny stared at him in surprise.

"Is that what this is about? Will, you can't think that way!"

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Because you need to think positively," Sonny insisted.

"Think positively? What about this is positive?" Will asked.

"I just mean you have to believe that you'll get better! You have to trust that these radiation treatments help," Sonny said.

"And if they don't?"

Sonny sighed. "Will, listen, I know you're scared. And I know you're frustrated. But you don't know that the treatments won't help. You have a lot of people who care about you and will help you through this, me included. If they don't help, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. No matter what happens, you're going to be okay. I truly believe that."

"I just… I can't…" Will trailed off.

"You can't what?"

"I am just… I'm scared, Sonny!" Will pulled his knees up to his chest. Sonny scooted over and wrapped an arm over Will's shoulders.

"I know you are," Sonny whispered. He leaned forward and kissed Will's cheek. "I'm going to help you through this. So are your parents and so are your grandparents. I love you."

"I love you too," Will said. "But…"

Sonny put a finger to Will's lips to silence him. "But nothing. Now, how about some tea?"

"I don't know… I don't feel that great," Will said. "Queasy."

"Okay, well I don't think your dad will be here for another ten minutes or so. How about you lay down for a little until he gets here?" Sonny suggested. Will nodded.

Sonny smiled and got up from the couch he extended a hand and Will took it gratefully. He allowed Sonny to help him up and Sonny supported Will as they walked towards Sonny's bed.

Will suddenly felt a surge of gratitude go through him and he was glad Sonny was there for him. He leaned heavily on Sonny, his knees feeling weak. They reached Sonny's bed and Will sat down.

Sonny lifted Will's legs onto the bed and covered him with a blanket. "Now, you get a little sleep. I'll wake you when your dad gets here." He knelt down and kissed Will on the forehead. Then he began walking away.

"Thank you Sonny," Will whispered. Sonny stopped and turned.

"You're welcome."


	11. Chapter 10

Lucas knocked on Sonny's door and waited patiently for him to answer. He was relieved that Sonny had found Will and hoped his son was okay. Sonny opened the door. "Hey Mr. Horton," he whispered.

"Where did you find him?" Lucas asked.

"He was walking around Horton Square in the rain. I put him in a hot shower and got him dressed in sweats, but he was sneezing a bit ago," Sonny explained. A wave of nausea rushed through Lucas.

"Shit. Okay, how's he doing right now?"

"He's asleep. Come on in," Sonny said. He stepped aside and Lucas stepped past him. He looked upon his sleeping son. Will was curled up on Sonny's bed with a blanket pulled up to his neck.

"How long has he been asleep?" Lucas whispered to Sonny.

"About fifteen minutes," Sonny explained. Lucas nodded and went over to his son. He knelt forward and gently shook Will's shoulder.

"Will? Son?" Lucas murmured softly. Will slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to look at his father.

"Hi dad," Will said with a gravelly voice.

"Let's get you home. Your mom has been worried sick," Lucas replied.

"I'm sorry," Will said.

"It's all right. Come on." Lucas uncovered his son and extended a hand. Will took it and allowed his father to hall him off the bed. He put his feet on the floor and suddenly felt weak at the knees. Will's legs caved in beneath him and Lucas caught him. "Whoa there, buddy. Put your arm around me."

Will did what he was told. "I'll bring by his clothes later. I put them in the dryer," Sonny told Lucas.

"Great. Thanks for finding him, Sonny," Lucas said.

"No problem," Sonny replied. He put a hand on Will's cheek. "Stay in bed this time. I will see you later."

"Okay," Will answered sleepily. Father and son then left the apartment and Sonny went to go make his bed.

* * *

The ride back to Sami's apartment was a silent one. Lucas drove and every once in awhile would look over at his son. Will stared out the window and didn't speak a word. When they reached Sami's, Lucas parked and went around to the passenger side to open up Will's door. "Come on, Will."

Will slowly climbed out of the car and leaned on his father. "I'm so tired," he muttered.

"I know, son. We're going to get you back to bed. C'mon," Lucas said. He supported his son as they slowly made their way towards the complex lobby. They got into the elevator and Lucas selected Sami's floor number. He awkwardly held Will up and watched as the numbers slowly blinked yellow. When the elevator dinged open, Lucas ushered Will out of the elevator. Will's knees suddenly gave way again.

"I can't," Will moaned. "Hurting."

"It's all right son. I'll help you," Lucas assured his son. He lifted his son up into his arms. Although Will was lighter from not being able to eat much, it was still a struggle for Lucas to carry him. Lucas wasn't nearly as strong as Sonny. He hastily carried his son to Sami's apartment and knocked with his foot. "Sami!" he yelled.

Lucas heard hurried footsteps coming towards the door and Sami opened it up. "Oh my God," Sami said. "What's wrong?"

"He's just weak, Sami. You going to let me in? He's heavy," Lucas grunted.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Sami stepped aside and Lucas carried Will past her and into Will's bedroom. He gently put Will down on the bed.

"Thank you," Will breathed. Then he sneezed. Lucas frowned and covered up Will with multiple blankets.

"Sleep," he ordered.

"Kay," Will mumbled, closing his eyes. Lucas quickly exited the room and was greeted by Sami.

"How is he?" She asked.

"Very weak. And I think he might have caught a cold," Lucas replied.

"Damn! God, I shouldn't have let him out of the house. This is my fault," Sami said.

"What were you going to do? Tackle him to the ground? Sami, there was nothing you could do. Luckily, Sonny found him and warmed him up. Hopefully he will be okay," Lucas replied.

"Well I think I'm going to try and take him to the doctor just in case. Lucas, he hasn't been eating much and I can't exactly force him to eat," Sami said.

"Okay, well just see what the doctor says," Lucas replied.

* * *

"You need to eat," Dr. Terry told Will.

"I haven't been hungry," he said. Will didn't want to be here. His mom had woken him up that morning and informed him that he was going to see Dr. Terry, no excuses.

"Will, I don't know how much I can tell you how serious this is. Radiation therapy is very hard on the body. It brings down your immunity and makes you more susceptible to illness. It is important that you eat something," the doctor explained.

"But I'm just not hungry," Will said.

"Well, try foods that are easy on the stomach such as soup. You need to eat something to keep up your strength."

"But…"

"Will, listen to me. You can either eat something or I can admit you so we can put in an IV. Which is it?" Dr. Terry asked.

Will didn't want to be in the hospital, so he sighed and nodded. "Okay," he gave in.

"Good. Now for the other matter. Your mom says you went out in the rain yesterday and as a result, started sneezing?" Dr. Terry replied.

"She was hovering. I needed to get out of the house," Will said.

"Like I said, your immune system is weakened. So, if you develop a cold from this, it's going to be a very bad one. If that happens, we'd have to stop the radiation for a little," Dr. Terry said.

Will looked startled. "But… but what would that mean?" He asked in a panic.

"It could be risky. The radiation treatment is to help make sure the cancer doesn't return. But if we take you off it, then there's a chance it could come back," Dr. Terry explained.

"Okay! I'll eat! I'll stay in bed! Please don't take me off of radiation," Will begged.

"We shall see. I'm sorry Will, but if you got a cold, I have no choice but to stop the treatments," Dr. Terry replied.

Will felt his stomach drop and looked down at his hands. He didn't want to stop radiation. The idea of it terrified him. Dr. Terry put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look Will, I know how hard this is for you. You're still young and I know that you never foresaw that you'd get cancer. But you need to try and get rest. Now, why don't you go sit in the waiting room so I can talk to your mom."

Will nodded and got up from the examination table. He exited the hospital room and told his mom to go talk to Dr. Terry. Sami nodded and went into the room. "So?" she asked.

"He has definitely lost some weight and I am concerned about his sneeze. I was just explaining to Will that if he develops a cold, I am going to have to insist on stopping radiation treatments until he gets better," Dr. Terry began.

"But if you stop radiation…" Sami trailed off.

"I know. I don't want to do that. But Will's immune system is compromised right now. A cold will really be hard on his body. I explained that he needs to eat. If he doesn't, I want you to immediately bring him back to the hospital. I might have to put him on an IV so he gets some kind of nutrition in his system. It's also very important that he stays in bed," Dr. Terry instructed.

"Okay. I will make sure he's getting plenty of food and rest. Thank you, Dr. Terry," Sami said.

"You're welcome. Remember, bring him in if he still refuses to eat," Dr. Terry said.

"I will. Goodbye," Sami said.


	12. Chapter 11

Sonny knocked on Sami's door the next afternoon. He was incredibly worried about his boyfriend after what had happened the day before. When Sami opened the door, she looked tired and upset. "What's wrong? Is Will sick?" he asked immediately.

"Not yet. But if he does get sick… they have to stop radiation," Sami replied.

"But if they stop radiation…"

"I know," Sami interrupted. "Come on in." She stepped aside to let Sonny through. He wordlessly handed over Will's clothes. "Thank you," Sami said gratefully.

"Where is he now?" Sonny asked.

"He's in bed. Dr. Terry's news was upsetting for him," Sami answered. "Do you want to see him?" Sonny nodded and without waiting for further instruction, made his way towards Will's bedroom.

He quietly pushed open the door and found Will clutching a pillow to his chest, staring at the wall. His shoulders were shaking and his breathing was heavy. Sonny's heart clenched; Will was crying. He went over to the bed and carefully crawled into bed next to his boyfriend. Sonny wrapped his arms around Will gently and felt Will's fingers intertwine with his own. He could feel his boyfriend shake against him and Sonny held him tighter. "Shh," he whispered. "I've got you."

"She… she s-s-said…" Will tried to say.

"Shh. I know what the doctor said. Your mom told me," Sonny interrupted. "It's all right babe. Everything is going to be okay." Sonny kissed the back of Will's neck and squeezed his hand. The two boys lay like that for a long time and soon, both fell asleep.

Sami went to check on them half an hour later. At first, she was shocked to find her son lying in bed with another man. But there was nothing sexual about it, so Sami relaxed. She smiled and felt warmth in her heart when she realized how much Sonny loved her son. She quietly let herself back out of Will's bedroom and went to wait patiently for the two boys to wake up.

Sonny woke up to Will's groaning. He could feel heat radiating off Will's body. Alarmed, Sonny sprang from the bed and sprinted out of the room. "Ms. Brady!" he cried out. Sami looked up from the book she was reading. "Sonny? What's wrong?"

"It's Will! I think he has a fever," Sonny announced. Sami quickly stood up from the couch.

"What?" Sami exclaimed. She followed Sonny back into Will's room and went over to Will's bed. "Will? Honey?" She place a hand on Will's cheek.

Will rolled over on his back. "Mom? Mom, I'm hot," he mumbled.

"Okay, baby. Why don't we get these blankets off of you?" Sami murmured in her son's ear. She looked at Sonny with worry. "I don't think it's a high fever. But he definitely has one."

Sonny nodded. "What can I do?"

"Get me the thermometer from Will's bedroom? It should be in the medicine cabinet," Sami instructed. Sonny nodded and went in search of the thermometer. Meanwhile, Sami turned down the covers on Will's bed. Sonny returned with the thermometer and handed it to Sami. "Okay, baby. I'm going to take your temperature," Sami said.

Will opened his mouth and Sami stuck the thermometer in. 30 seconds later, the thermometer beeped and she removed it. She sighed in minor relief when she saw that it was a low temperature. "What is it?" Sonny asked.

"100.5. It's not too high, but I'm still concerned. Sit with him for a little?" Sami asked. Sonny nodded and sat down by his boyfriend. Sonny gently stroked Will's forehead.

"Im sick, aren't I?" Will asked weakly.

"Yeah, babe. You have a fever," Sonny replied.

"I shouldn't have left the house yesterday," Will sighed.

"Hey, there's no use dwelling on what happened in the past. The important thing is getting you healthy," Sonny replied. Just then, Sami returned to the bedroom with a damp washcloth. She walked over to the bed and placed it across Will's forehead. Will moaned in appreciation.

"That feels good," he muttered. Sami couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Good, baby. I'm going to go call Dr. Terry, okay?" Sami replied.

"Kay," Will mumbled, sleep beginning to overtake him again. He closed his eyes and started breathing deeply. Sonny and Sami looked at each other.

"Why don't you sit with him for a little while I go call the doctor?" Sami suggested. Sonny nodded in agreement. He sat down on the bed and rubbed his thumb back and forth on Will's arm. Will looked peaceful, even when feverish. Ten or so minutes passed before Sami returned. She cleared her throat and Sonny looked over at her.

"Dr. Terry is going to stop radiation for now," she said sadly. "She told me to bring him in if his fever gets worse."

"Okay," Sonny replied. "Is there anything else I can do? I feel helpless."

"Just keep loving him," Sami said. Sonny looked startled, making Sami chuckle. "I've seen how you look at him. I've seen how much you care about him. I know you love him. So keep loving him. Because I know he loves you too and it helps to know there are people who love you."

Sonny nodded. "I can do that."

Lucas burst into Sami's apartment. She'd called him to tell him Will had a fever and he'd rushed right over. "Sami?" he yelled. Sami came out of Will's bedroom.

"Hello Lucas," she said.

"He has a fever?" Lucas demanded.

"Yeah. But it's not a bad fever… yet. Dr. Terry said to bring him in if it gets worse," Sami replied. Lucas nodded.

"Is he asleep?"

"He just fell asleep about five minutes before you go here. Sonny's sitting with him now," Sami replied.

"Okay… did the doctor say anything else? How was Will's appointment this morning?" Lucas asked. Sami frowned and led her over to the couch. They sat down and Lucas looked at her expectantly.

"She said he needs to start eating or else she's going to admit him so she can give him nutrients from an IV," Sami began.

"Christ… did you get him to eat anything?" Lucas asked.

"Yes," Sami replied. "I got him to eat some soup when we got home."

"Good. Did she say anything else?" Sami looked down at her hands and sighed. "Sami! What?"

"She said that if he got sick, she'd have to stop radiation. When I talked to her on the phone about Will's fever, she said she had no choice but to end the radiation for now."

"Shit," Lucas whispered.


	13. Chapter 12

"Come sit down," Sami suggested to Lucas. He nodded and followed her over to the couch. They sat down simultaneously and sat there silently for a few minutes. Then Lucas spoke. "How high was the fever?"

"100.3 or something… I don't remember exactly. But I know it was low," Sami replied.

"Okay… God, Sami if they stop radiation…" Lucas trailed off.

Sami nodded. "I know, Lucas. But Will's body can't handle radiation and a cold," she said.

"Yeah? What about cancer? What about chemo? His body won't be able to handle that!" Lucas exclaimed, standing up abruptly from the couch. He began pacing the room and Sami watched her ex pace helplessly as he ranted. "What are we going to do?"

"We are going to stick by our son no matter what happens," Sami said. "Lucas, I'm just as upset as you are about this! But Will can't afford for us to lose it. We have to be strong for him."

"Yeah, I understand that, Sami. I just… God, this is our son," Lucas said. He sat back down on the couch. Sami couldn't add anything else so she just nodded in agreement. Then she reached over and took Lucas's hand, giving it a squeeze. Lucas looked at her and squeezed back.

Silence fell upon them until a loud coughing fit shattered the silence. "Ms. Brady?!" a voice called out over the coughing. It was a panicked, worried call that brought both Lucas and Sami to their feet. They ran for the bedroom and found Sonny rubbing Will's back as a barking cough wracked his body. Sonny looked up at their entrance, a look of pure terror and worry on his face. "He's burning up!" Sonny exclaimed.

* * *

Will could hear muffled voices but couldn't hear the words. His lungs were on fire and his chest felt tight. He could barely breathe as painful coughs shook his body. His skin felt like he'd gotten sunburned from lying out in the son too long. Will felt strong arms supporting him. They felt loving and Will could vaguely remember that they belonged to someone he cared about deeply; someone he loved. But Will's feverish mind couldn't produce a name or a face. A cool hand pressed up against his forehead and then there were more muffled voices. This time, they sounded panicked. Will didn't care about the voices, though. He just wanted the pain to stop. He stopped coughing and started taking quick, wheezy breaths, trying to get air back into his lungs. The strong arms pushed him backwards and he sighed in relief as he felt cool pillows touch his feverish skin.

* * *

When Will's coughing died down, Sonny gently laid him back on the bed. Sami had just left the room to get the phone. She was going to call an ambulance. Sonny stroked Will's forehead and felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Lucas standing behind him. "He's going to be okay," Lucas said at an attempt to be comforting.

"God, I hope so. Mr. Horton… what could be wrong with him?" Sonny asked.

"I don't know, Sonny…"

Sami reentered the room with a damp washcloth. "An ambulance is on its way. They said to put a cool cloth on his forehead," she said. Sami walked over to the bed and placed it on Will's forehead. He moaned in appreciation at the coolness. She stroked Will's cheek gently. "Hang in there, baby."

* * *

Forty-five minutes later

Will was settled into a hospital room and Dr. Terry was in the waiting room talking with Lucas and Sami. Sonny was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. He listened as Dr. Terry gave her diagnosis. "Will has pneumonia. We put an oxygen mask on him; he isn't breathing well but not bad enough that we need to put him on a ventilator. I also got his weight and it's too low for someone his age and height. So I've inserted a feeding tube directly to his stomach. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to stop the radiation. When he was brought in, he had a fever of 103 degrees. We were able to get that fever under control, but we will be monitoring him overnight," Dr. Terry said.

"Oh God," Sami breathed.

"How long will he be in the hospital?" Lucas asked.

"A couple of days to a week. It's hard to say," Dr. Terry said.

"And stopping the radiation? What will happen when you do that?" Sonny suddenly said. He stood up placed himself next to Lucas.

Dr. Terry sighed. "That's even more difficult to say. I won't pretend and say things will be okay. There's a chance Will's cancer will come back. However, there is also a chance it won't. He's only had two rounds of radiation therapy, but that could be enough. Unfortunately, all we can do is wait."

Sonny groaned and turned around swiftly, his hands placed on his head. Sami and Lucas turned their heads slightly and watched Sonny walk down the hall and back. When he came back over, Sami put a hand on his arm and smiled. Sonny gave her a half smile back, even though he didn't feel very smiley.

"Can we see him?" Lucas asked.

"Of course," Dr. Terry replied. She led the three of them to Will's room. They entered the room and were met with the following sight:

Will was dressed in a hospital gown with the covers pulled up to his chest. A tube hung loosely off the bed, it's start hidden beneath the blankets. It was the feeding tube. Another tube hooked Will's arm up to a drip. An oxygen mask was over his mouth.

"He's asleep. We put him on low dose pain killers," Dr. Terry explained. "I'll leave you all alone for a little. But then I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Will needs to rest."


	14. Chapter 13

They began visiting the hospital in shifts, none of them wanting Will to spend too much time alone in the hospital. Sonny was grateful that Sami and Lucas were including him in this endeavor, for he really loved Will and wanted to make sure he was okay. Sonny's shift started immediately after he finished at the coffee shop the next day after Will was admitted. At 3 PM, Sonny waved goodbye to the barista and headed out the door.

As he drove to the hospital, Sonny hoped and prayed Will was feeling better and if he wasn't feeling better, that there was no change. He pulled into the parking lot and grabbed the flowers he'd bought. Then Sonny headed into the hospital and immediately went to Will's room.

When he entered, a nurse was checking Will's vitals. Sami was sitting in a chair next to Will's bed but her head was in her lap. The nurse looked up at Sonny's arrival and smiled. "Hello there!" she said cheerfully.

"Hey," Sonny replied. "How is he doing?"

"He's doing better. Mr. Horton's fever is much lower," the nurse answered. "Are you here to relieve Ms. Brady?" Sonny nodded. The nurse smiled again and shook Ms. Brady awake. "Ms. Brady?"

Sami sat up abruptly. "What? Is Will okay?" she asked in a panic.

"No m'am. There's a young man here?"

Sami looked over at the door. "Oh! Hello, Sonny! It's time already?"

"Yeah. It's almost 3:15," Sonny replied.

"I'll be back to check on your son later," the nurse interrupted. Sami nodded and thanked her. Then the nurse left the room. Sami turned back to Sonny.

"He's been asleep for a couple hours so he may wake up while you're here. Lucas was wondering if you could stay until visiting hours are over? Something came up at work for him and he couldn't get out of it," Sami said.

"Of course I can," Sonny replied.

"Great! Okay, well if you need anything, let me know!" Sami said.

"I will," Sonny said. Sami nodded and stood up from the chair. She grabbed her purse and started for the door.

"Oh! Before I forget! Since Will's fever hasn't spiked since yesterday afternoon, they did some tests. Cancer free still," Sami said.

"That's great!" Sonny exclaimed.

Sami smiled. "Yes. But don't become too comfortable. There's still a chance it can come back."

"I know," Sonny replied. Sami nodded and then waved goodbye.

Once she had left, Sonny sat down in the vacant chair and took Will's hand. He watched the rise and fall of Will's chest and smiled. Will looked so peaceful despite the oxygen mask still helping him breathe.

About two hours later, Sonny had fallen asleep in the same position he found Sami when he arrived. His forehead rested on his arm while he held Will's hand in the other. Will slowly opened his eyes and looked down. He smiled and squeezed Sonny's hand weakly. Sonny jolted awake and looked about the room in confusion for a moment. Then he looked at Will and smiled. "Hey," he said.

Will reached up and pulled the mask up off his face. "Hey," he rasped.

"How are you feeling?" Sonny asked.

"Tired," Will replied. His breathing was short and wheezy, so Will put the mask back on. Sonny frowned and reached up to stroke Will's forehead. Will closed his eyes at the touch.

"You really had me worried yesterday," Sonny began. Will shot him an apologetic look, so Sonny held up his hands. "It's okay. I just…" Sonny trailed off.

Will furrowed his eyebrows in concern and took off the mask again. "Sonny," he gasped. "Tell me. What… what are you thinking?"

Sonny sighed. He was thinking about a lot of things. Finding Will wandering around Horton Square in the rain. How powerless he felt when he watched as coughs wracked Will's body. Feeling nauseous when Will's fever spiked. Each agonizing minute that went by as he waited with Will's parents for the ambulance to arrive. But Sonny didn't tell Will any of this. Instead, he simply said, "I'm just glad you're doing better."

"Sonny," Will said.

"Okay, okay. I can't stop thinking about the past couple days. I mean, I was really worried about you when I found you wandering about Horton Square and I was with you when you got worse yesterday… I just… I can't stand seeing you go through this!" Sonny explained. Will frowned and squeezed his boyfriend's hands.

"I'm sorry," he rasped.

"Oh no! Please, don't be sorry. I meant what I said when I told you I'd stand by you through this. I love you, Will," Sonny added quickly.

"I love you, too," Will replied. Suddenly, he started coughing.

"All righty, time to put the mask back on," Sonny insisted.

"I'll. Be. Okay. In. a. Minute," Will said between coughs.

"Nope. Put the mask back on," Sonny ordered. He grabbed the mask and placed it back over Will's mouth. Will gave him an exasperated look, making Sonny laugh. He leaned forward and kissed Will on the forehead. "I'm sorry. I just don't want you to stop breathing." Then Sonny started stroking Will's forehead. Will's eyes closed at the touch.

"You look tired, babe," Sonny noted. Will did indeed have bags beneath his eyes. He started to pull the mask off to reply, but Sonny placed a hand over Will's. "What do you think you're doing? Put your hand down." Sonny grabbed the remote by Will's bed. "How about some TV?"

Will nodded. Then he carefully scooted over on the bed and patted the bed next to him. Sonny shook his head. "Will, I don't think that's a good idea." Will gave Sonny puppy dog eyes, making Sonny laugh. "Oh, all right." He carefully climbed onto the bed and settled down next to Will. Will then snuggled up closer and laid his head on Sonny's chest.


	15. Chapter 14 END

Will was released from the hospital a few days later. He was still a little weak from the pneumonia, so Dr. Terry instructed him to rest in bed for a day or so. "Now Will, I also must stress the importance of eating. You've lost too much weight and need to gain back at least ten pounds," Dr. Terry said.

"I understand," Will answered.

"I'll make sure he does," Sami added.

"Good. Well, come back in a couple weeks and we will see if the cancer is gone," Dr. Terry said.

"We will," Sami replied.

"Okay! Well then, I will see you both later. Take care," Dr. Terry said. Sami thanked her and the doctor left the room.

"All right, I'm going to pull the car around while you get dressed. Okay?" Sami said to her son.

"Sounds good," Will replied as he began pulling on his pants. Sami nodded and began to walk out the door. A thought occurred to her, stopping her in her tracks. She turned back to look at her son.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

Will stopped what he was doing. "I'm doing okay, mom. I just want to get out of here," Will replied.

"Okay. See you in a bit," Sami said, though she wasn't sold on Will's answer. She decided not to press, however, and left the room. Will waited until she left to sit down on the bed. He felt winded just from putting on his pants. But Will didn't say anything because he knew his mother would worry. Plus, he was afraid Dr. Terry would make him stay longer and he definitely didn't want that. Will sat on the bed for a minute and then got back to getting dressed.

Will was just finishing putting on his shoes when a nurse appeared with a wheelchair. "Are you ready to go, Mr. Horton?" she asked. Will looked at the nurse and then down at the chair. He looked back at the nurse again and frowned.

"I don't need that," he said.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Horton, but I'm afraid it's hospital policy. As soon as we exit the hospital, you can get up and walk," the nurse apologized. Will sighed.

"Fine," he grumbled. He grabbed his jacket off the bed and slowly eased himself into the wheelchair. As soon as he was settled, the nurse began wheeling him from the room.

She wheeled Will through the hospital and out the front doors of the hospital. Sami was leaning up against her car, waiting. When Will and the nurse emerged, she straightened and opened the door to the car. "You ready to go?"

"Yes! Get me out of here," Will said. He hopped up from the wheelchair, forgetting how tired and weak he was. A wave of dizziness rolled over him and Will's knees buckled slightly. Sami rushed forward just in time to catch her son as he fell.

"Will?! Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, mom. I just got up too fast and felt a little dizzy. Please, let's just go home," Will said.

"Will…"

"Mom! I'm fine," Will interrupted. There was no way he was going back into that hospital. "Let's go."

Sami looked doubtfully at the nurse who had brought Will out to the car. The nurse gave her a reassuring smile. "Ms. Brady, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. If your son feels dizzy later on, just bring him back in. I think it's safe to go home."

"See? Even she says I'm fine. Let's go, mom," Will insisted.

"Okay…" Sami said. Will slowly started walking towards the car, so Sami rushed forward to open the door. She helped her son into the car and then turned to thank the nurse. Then she went around to the driver's side and got in.

When Sami and Will got home, she immediately sent him to bed. "I'll bring you something to eat in an hour," Sami said.

"Okay," Will replied. He began ambling towards his bedroom. Will carefully climbed into his bed and passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next two weeks passed quickly and Will's strength slowly returned. He also gained the ten pounds Dr. Terry told him to gain. Will spent most of his free time with Sonny. After everything that had happened in the past month and a half, Will and Sonny wanted to make every minute count.

On the morning before Will was supposed to go back to the hospital to find out if he was cancer free, he and Sonny were enjoying a cup of coffee. "Are you nervous?" Sonny asked.

"Very. I mean, I had to stop radiation when I got pneumonia so there's a chance the cancer is back," Will replied. "If I hadn't been such an idiot…"

"Hey, you aren't an idiot. Everything is going to be okay, I know it," Sonny interrupted as he reached forward to take Will's hand in his. "Is your mom picking you up here?"

"Yeah. She should be here in a couple minutes," Will replied. He looked down at the table, a look of anxiety on his face. Sonny squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Hey, look at me," he murmured. Will raised his eyes to look into his boyfriend's. "You are going to be okay. Do you want me to come with?"

Will's face lit up. "Could you?"

"Yeah. Let me just tell Chad," Sonny replied. He got up from the table and walked closer to Will. Sonny bent down and captured Will's lips with his own before going off in search of Chad.

While Sonny was in the back, Sami walked into the coffee shop. She looked around and as soon as she spotted Will, walked over to the table. She sat down in Sonny's vacant chair. "You ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Will replied.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, baby," Sami said. Will nodded.

"That's what Sonny said. Um, is it okay if he came with us?" Will asked.

"Of course, sweetheart," Sami replied.

Sonny reemerged from the back with an apologetic frown on his face. "Hey Ms. Brady," he said.

"Hello, Sonny. How are you?" Sami asked.

"I'm good. You?"

"A little nervous, but good. So I hear you're coming with us?" Sami said.

Sonny frowned. "I was planning on it, but I couldn't get a hold of Chad to cover for me," Sonny replied regretfully. He looked at his boyfriend. "I'm so sorry, Will."

"It's okay, babe. I will call you as soon as I know the results," Will said.

"Good deal. If I can get away from work, I'll stop by your place after your appointment," Sonny said.

"Sounds like a plan," Will answered. He kissed Sonny on the lips and followed his mother out of the coffee shop.

About an hour later, Sami, Will, and Lucas were waiting in Dr. Terry's office. Lucas had met them at the hospital. Dr. Terry put Will through tests to see if the cancer had returned and now all they could do was wait for the results. Will's leg bounced up and down in apprehension. Sami frowned a placed a hand on Will's knee, stilling the movement. "Will, it's going to be okay," she murmured softly.

"I hope so," Will said.

"Your mother is right. It will be okay," Lucas added.

Dr. Terry entered the room and sat down at her desk. She folded her hands in her lap and smiled.

"Well Will, you are cancer free," she announced.

Will straightened up in his chair. "Really?"

"Really. The results of the tests revealed nothing. You are in the clear," Dr. Terry assured him. Sami sighed in relief. Lucas looked up at the ceiling and mouthed a thank you.

"Thank God," she breathed.

"Yes. Will is a very lucky young man. However, I want you to remember that cancer can come back. Will might never relapse, but it is known to happen," Dr. Terry explained.

"Understood," Sami said.

"Good. Will should come in at least once a month for a blood test. And if he ever feels horribly sick, bring him to the hospital immediately," Dr. Terry advised.

"We will," Lucas said.

"Wait until Sonny hears," Will said excitedly. He stood up from the chair and grabbed Dr. Terry's hand. "Thank you so much," he said, shaking the doctor's hand.

"You are very welcome, Will. Enjoy the rest of your day," Dr. Terry replied, smiling.

Sami and Lucas thanked the doctor as well and then the family headed out of the hospital with huge smiles on their faces. Will couldn't wait to tell Sonny the amazing news.


End file.
